The Field Model of German Sentence Structure

In the study of Germanic languages, the “Field Model” (Feldermodell) or “topological model” is a common way to explain how German sentences are put together. It separates sentences into “fields” and sets rules for how to fill these fields based on the type of sentence (for example, declarative, interrogative, etc.). ). This descriptive framework lets you arrange different sentences based on how they look, but it doesn’t go into more complex grammatical issues like analyzing all of a sentence’s parts or elements.

Origin and Development

Erich Drach was the first person to divide German sentences into three fields: “Vorfeld” (prefield), “Mitte” (middle), and “Nachfeld” (postfield). This was in 1937. This split led to the word “Kernsatz,” which means “core sentence,” for the German verb-second sentence, since the finite verb was in the middle of the sentence. In modern versions of the field model, the basic structure is now made up of five fields:

1. Vorfeld (prefield)
2. Linke Klammer (left bracket)
3. Mittelfeld (middle field)
4. Rechte Klammer (right bracket)
5. Nachfeld (postfield)

Additional fields that don’t play a role in all sentences are sometimes named as well, particularly various “outer fields.”

It is also common for Scandinavian (Germanic) languages to use the field model for their grammar. In 1946, Paul Diderichsen created an important variant for Danish. It is a little different from German because Danish is an SVO language.

The Field Arrangement

The Sentence Bracket and Middle Field

Typical for German main clauses is the so-called “sentence bracket” (Satzklammer) the phenomenon where the finite verb form appears early in the sentence but remaining parts of the predicate (e.g., infinitive verbs or separable verb particles) follow at the end of the sentence. These two positions serve as orientation markers in the model they bracket an area called the “middle field,” with a “prefield” and a “postfield” outside this bracket

The middle field is where all sentence elements initially stand unless they’re assigned to another field due to special rules. The middle field contains a position for the subject, unless it’s moved to the prefield (as in the second example above).

The left bracket is used for both the sentence-introducing conjunction of the subordinate clause and the finite verb of the main clause. The left bracket in the examples above is always the position directly before the middle field position of the subject.

The Right Bracket as Verbal Complex

The right bracket contains the finite verb when it stands at the end of the sentence (as in subordinate clauses). Furthermore, all other components of the predicate, especially the entire verbal complex, which in German can consist of multiple verbs, are assigned to the right bracket.

The Oberfeld (Upper Field)

A fine subdivision becomes necessary for constructions in which the finite verb is pulled in front of the other verbs at the end of the sentence This additional position is then called the “Oberfeld” (upper field)

The Prefield

The prefield serves for the placement of any material that should either be taken up as given information from the context (a so-called topic) or for material that should be emphasized as a contrast. The occupation of the prefield by a sentence part is (somewhat imprecisely) also referred to as “topicalization” of this sentence part. Apart from the finite verb, almost all types of sentence parts can be used to occupy the prefield.

The Postfield

The postfield’s main job is to pull out long sentence parts like subordinate clauses (also called “Ausklammerung”). In theory, subordinate clauses can fit in the middle field in the right place, especially if they are adverbial clauses. That being said, this is not correct grammar for subject or object clauses.

Field Occupation and Marking of Sentence Types

The different sentence types (such as interrogative, declarative, etc., as well as main clause and subordinate clause) are marked in German by an interplay of several elements. These include the verb mode (subjunctive/indicative), intonation, but also the various occupations of the prefield and the left bracket. The middle field, on the other hand, does not participate in the marking of sentence types but is common to all types of sentences.

Traditionally, three sentence forms are distinguished for German:

1. Verb-second sentence (also core sentence)
2. Verb-first sentence (also initial sentence)
3. Verb-end sentence (also spanning sentence)

The verb-second position is the sentence form in which the prefield is obligatorily occupied (even if by an expletive pronoun) and the finite verb stands in the left bracket immediately after it. This is the form that applies to declarative sentences or wh-questions as main clauses.

The verb-first sentence comes about by the verb also appearing in the left bracket, but the prefield remains obligatorily empty. This form is used for yes/no questions or imperatives.

Subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions are verb-end sentences. Conjunctions occupy the left bracket; plausibly, then, only the end position remains for the finite verb.

Interpretation of the Field Division in Syntax Theory

In syntax theories that seek explanations for the properties of sentence structure using abstract structures, such as generative grammar, the field model is not classified as a counter-proposal to such a theory, but as a collection of observations for which explanations and derivations can be provided.

When analyzing the German sentence according to X-bar theory, the middle field and right bracket together form a phrase, the prefield forms a phrase, and the verb stands as a single syntactic word in the left bracket. This results in a structure exactly as predicted by X-bar theory: the division into specifier, head, and complement.

Understanding the Field Model helps us comprehend why German sentences have their characteristic structure and how different sentence types are formed through the systematic occupation of these fields.